Bill expected to impact county voters

A comprehensive election reform bill approved by state lawmakers will increase the time voters spend at the polls, the Davidson County's elections director said this week.

BY NASH DUNNThe Dispatch

A comprehensive election reform bill approved by state lawmakers will increase the time voters spend at the polls, the Davidson County's elections director said this week.The controversial bill, which will most notably make voters show photo IDs to cast a ballot, will also shorten the early voting period by seven days and eliminate same-day voting registration, in addition to dozens of other changes.Drafted by the state's Republican-dominated legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, the bill's various provisions are set to impact elections starting in 2014.Ruth Huneycutt, director of the Davidson County Board of Elections, said the changes could prompt various ramifications for voters. Everyone can expect to see longer lines at the polls, she said."It's going to slow the process down, and it's going to take a person longer to vote," Huneycutt said. "Overall, it's just going to be a longer process."Republicans have claimed the changes will prevent voter fraud, which they say is widespread and undetected. Democrats and voting rights groups say the true goal is suppressing voter turnout among the young, the old, the poor and minorities.After the implementation of voter ID, which is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2016, nothing will take longer than usual, Huneycutt said, as long as a citizen has valid photo ID. However, if a citizen has no ID, he or she will fill out a provisional ballot, which would take longer than the normal voting process, she said.North Carolina driver's licenses, N.C. special ID cards, U.S. passports, U.S. military cards, veteran ID cards, and tribal enrollment cards will be acceptable forms of photo ID, according to the law.The early voting period, which Davidson County citizens have used more frequently in recent elections, will also be shortened by a week, according to the law. A record 34,401 people cast ballots in-person through early voting in 2012, which equated to about 33 percent of the county's then-105,429 registered voters.While the early voting period will be shortened, county board of elections offices would still have to provide the same number of early voting sites and hours as it did in prior years. County board of elections offices can request those hours be reduced, but the request must be approved by the state board of elections office, according to the law."It's not going to make that much difference in a regular election cycle, but when you get into a controversial vote or a presidential election, it could kill us," Huneycutt said.Huneycutt said she was approached by one state lawmaker, Sen. Stan Bingham, R-Davidson, before this year's session started. They discussed various aspects of the voting changes, including the elimination of same-day voter registration, which she said she was not against."People have 365 days to get registered," Huneycutt said. "There's no excuse for people not being registered."The elimination of the same-day rule means voters will have to be registered 25 days before the election.The bill will also:• Eliminate preregistration for high school students. Current law allows 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister for elections.• Eliminate straight party voting.• Allow any registered voter to challenge a person's right to register or vote.• Raise the campaign contribution limit to $5,000, but would allow only a candidate's spouse to be exempted from that contribution limit. It would also repeal an existing $1,000 limit for contributions to Superior or District court judge candidates. Current law limits contributions to candidates and political parties to $4,000 per election.Parties respond to changesDavidson County Democratic Party Chairman Craig Lindsay said he can't see one positive aspect of the changes."It's easier to say that you are eliminating fraud or misuse of voting practices, or whatever they want to throw up," Lindsay said. "There's only one reason: to disenfranchise a growing minority presence."Lindsay said he has most grief over the voter ID and early voting aspects of the law, mainly because he believes they are targeted at citizens of a lower socioeconomic status."They are not going to have the transportation or be able to obtain the necessary documents to prove who they say they are," Lindsay said. "Even if you want to vote, chances are you are going to be denied."Regardless of his feelings, he said the party will work as hard as it can to inform voters and take them to the polls.Davidson County Republican Party Chairman Lance Barrett admitted the changes will likely impact the county's board of elections office. However, he said the bill provides quality, comprehensive change."There's absolutely no reason for someone not to be able to provide some form of ID at the polls," Barrett said. "That will eliminate all of the shenanigans that people talk about happening in other states."In addition, Barrett said same-day registration is prohibited in most states and added that North Carolina's early voting process was too drawn out to begin with."Early voting benefitted the Republican Party in this county, and I will be the first one to say that it was entirely too long," Barrett said.Nash Dunn can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at nash.dunn@the-dispatch.com. Follow Nash on Twitter: @LexDispatchNash